Finally Done Shopping

I am finally done with all my Christmas shopping.  Normally I'm done before Thanksgiving, but this year between money being very tight, doctors appointments, and having to get a car fixed, it just didn't happen.

Another problem is this year the kids' wants got really expensive.  Warrior wanted an iPod, Xbox 360 with Kinect, and several games.  Sugar Peas skipped the iPod and went straight for the iPad.   Plus she's into anything Monster High.

I went the cheap route and got them both MP3 players.  All they want them for is to listen to their own music, and I couldn't see paying a butt load of money for just that.

I got Warrior a couple Nerf guns and a ton of extra darts.  Also got him the pair of headphones he's been drooling over for the last 3 months. 

Sugar Peas is getting a few Monster High clothing packs, Monster High ear buds, and several leg warmers. 

Sugar Peas isn't sure about Santa anymore.  One day she say he's not real and she knows its us getting the presents.  Then the next day she still believes and is shocked that some kids in her class don't believe.

I figure this is probably my last year as Santa.  So Santa got Warrior Lego Harry Potter for the Wii and Sugar Peas got the Monster High video game for the Wii.

Santa is also bringing the family a couple of presents.  1 being 4 passes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (courtesy of the local library, see having a library card does pay off!) and the other being pizza maker.

I haven't been in the Christmas spirit much this year.  A lot of things have happened in the last week that have put me on high alert on my stress meter, but I decided to get myself into the mood for the kids sake.

All Kinds of Signs

Tonight while we were finishing up our Christmas shopping I saw all sorts of sign that let me know my loved ones in Heaven are still watching over me.

My dad passed away in 1994 after a long fight with lung cancer.  My grandpa passed away in 2001 after a long secretive (didn't tell anyone) battle with lung cancer.  My aunt passed away in 2007 from lung cancer.  My step dad passed away in 2007 from long battle with kidney disease.  My Grandma Cookie passed away in 2008 after a long battle with COPD.  And my Grandma Cam passed away this year at the age of 105. 

So many people I love are now watching over me.  I still wish I had each and every one of them with me.  I have so many things I want to say to them.  Things I want to share with them.  Things I wish they could be apart of. 

Tonight while we were shopping we walked down an aisle and there on a random shelf, out of place, was a Ford coffee much, an Elvis hot chocolate set, and a talking bass.

I seriously stopped and just stared.  I know Tin Man thought I was crazy because I started crying, but I know it was them giving me a sign.  My Grandpa worked for 30 + years at Ford, my Aunt was obsessed with Elvis, and my dad was a fisherman. 

Then later at another store we found a hummingbird snow globe in the middle of the toy section.  Before my Grandma Cookie died she told all of us that she would give us a sign that she was ok.  Her sign was a hummingbird.  2 days after she died a hummingbird perched on my screen door for several hours.  That's how I knew she was ok, and would always be with me.

Some may think I'm crazy, but to me these signs let me know they are still watching over me and help me during this time of year.

Where Are You Now?

When Tin Man first got sick our friends were there to help us.  They watched the kids, brought us dinners, and even went grocery shopping for us.

When the doctors decided Tin Man needed the heart transplant sooner than later, again our friends were there asking what they could do.  When the social worker told us we needed to start fundraising, they were there and told us that they would do whatever we needed them to do.

There were 2 friends that told us they would step up and name themselves our fundraising coordinators so we wouldn't have to worry about the stress of setting things up.  Plus these 2 friends kept reminding us that they have lived here all their lives and know a lot of people that can help with fundraising.

That was almost 2 years ago.  These 2 really great friends haven't done a damn thing to help us.  Most of the fundraisers we've had Tin Man and I have set up on our own between doctors appointments and hospital stays.

Tin Man and I have talked about doing a car show fundraiser.  Again these 2 people stepped up and said they knew just who to call.  They have yet to call them. 

It makes me mad because these 2 people play on this.  They make sure people know that they have watched our kids while Tin Man was in the hospital.  Talk about all the support they have given us.  I am very thankful for them watching the kids, but I wish they would step up like they promised to do in the past. 

We have another set of friends that have stepped up to help us, but they've only lived in the area for a little over a year and don't have the connections these other friends do.  Even with the limited connections, they've still helped us a great deal.  These 2 awesome people have become more like family to us than just friends. 

These 2 awesome people even tried to see if they could set up a fundraising committee with these other people, and were blown off.  Excuses were made as to why we all couldn't have dinner together. 

Even without these 2 so called friends, we've come up with a few fundraising ideas that we're working out the final touches on.  Nov/Dec/Jan are rough times for fundraising because of the holidays, so once February comes we are going to get things moving. 
 

Christmas Traditions

When Tin Man and I got married, one thing we talked about was Christmas Traditions.  Traditions we wanted to carry over from our childhoods and new things we wanted to start.

When I was younger we would bake cookies and then decorate them and take over to the neighbors.  This was something I really missed when we moved.  We'd been neighbors and friends for 13 years.  So when we moved away, it felt like there was a large whole in our Christmas Eve.

We also got to open one present on Christmas Eve.  This present was always pajamas, but we looked forward to it every year.  After the presents were opened and we were changed into our new pajamas, we would make hot chocolate and watch a movie.  It wasn't always a Christmas movie, just something all 3 of us kids could agree on.

 These were definitely something I wanted to bring to my kids.

Tin Man's family tradition was making the kids wait to open presents until after they all had a bowl of oatmeal.  This was something Tin Man always hated and couldn't wait to do away with.


One tradition we started recently was buying the kids a few "family" presents.  These are always board games or 4 player video games.  We started family game night and area alway looking to add more games to our stockpile.

This year we bought the kids Family Game Night Fun Pack which includes Operation, Connect 4, Jenga, Bop It, Pictureka, Clue, Life Mouse Trap, and more!  We also bought Monopoly Deal and Sorry Revenge card games.

Many of the memories I have of my childhood are the traditions we had and I want my kids to have to same memories.  Things they want to pass on to their kids too.

Old People Are Like Kids...

...They forget about the filter that keeps certain things from coming out of your mouth.

Yesterday Tin Man had to have his 6 month heart cath.

I was sitting in the waiting room with about 12 other people.  This woman and her mother were sitting there while her father was in the back with Tin Man.

I was reading a book, a few were watching TV and a couple were quietly talking off in the corner.

Out of no where this old lady starts asking if she could have everyone's attention.

"Hi everyone.  Can I have your attention please.  I want to apologize for the fart.  You know when you get older you sort of lose control of certain things and sometimes one just slips out."

I doubt any of us would have known anything was going on if she hadn't brought our attention to it.

Then a few minutes later this small Asian doctor came into the room.

This lady starts grilling him about his size.

Old Lady - "Excuse me, but your a doctor right?"
Doctor - "Yes."
Old Lady - "Well being a doctor, don't you have access to things, like growth hormones?"
Doctor - ::stares::  (I swear he looked around to see if anyone else was looking)
Old Lady - "I'm just saying because I won't go to a doctor unless he's at least 5 feet 5 inches tall."
Doctor - "um, um, um.  I gotta go."

By this point this woman's daughter wants to crawl under the chairs and disappear forever.

She decided now would be a good time to take her mom for a little walk.

I so wanna be like her when I get old!

Kids Came Up With a Fundraiser

When all of this first started Warrior really wanted to pretend it wasn't happening.  When Tin Man was in the hospital Warrior just pretended he was back in Southern California visiting his family.  He refused to talk about it.  I finally gave him a journal to write his feelings about anything.  I told him that he could keep the journal private, share it, or burn it in the fireplace.  He chose to burn it because he didn't want to take the chance of anyone reading it. 

In Nov 2010 when the first newspaper article came out he was mortified because people, mainly his friends, wanted to ask him questions about it.  That was until his class decided they wanted to do something to help us.  They designed a quilt.  Each student, the teacher, Sugar Pea, and I got to design a square and then the teacher and her friend quilted it all together.  The kids then raffled it off.  They raised $1500 and were beyond proud of themselves.

All of his friends coming together like that, Warrior started to open up more about what's going on.  Once he started asking us questions, he became more and more interested in knowing what's going on and what to expect.

Now a year later he's doing his graduation project on transplants.  The history of them, the process to being put on the list, and even the wait to get one.  We are waiting on a call back from the transplant coordinator on setting up a meeting with her and with one of the surgeons so Warrior can sit down and interview them.

He's come a long way in just a year and I'm so proud of him.

A couple of weeks ago while we were on our way home from somewhere the kids came up with an idea for a fundraiser.  A kids only art show/sale. 

I thought it was a great idea and immediately starting trying to get more info on it.


Last night Warrior asked me if he could be in charge of it and me just help him when he really needs it. 


I'm so proud of him.  My little man is growing up and into a great person.

Look for more information on the fundraiser.

1 Year Already

Saturday marked 1 year since my husband was added to the transplant list for a new heart.

1 year.   365 days.  And counting.

This year has flown by in so many ways, and in other ways its been a very long year.  Some days I wish the call would hurry up and come and other days I don't feel ready.

There is only so much we can actually plan.  We have so many lists on our fridge.  Things like who needs to be called, things that need done around the house before we leave, and things we need to pack.

We also planned out who is going to watch the kids when that time comes.  Actually we have Plan A, B, and C just in case.  I kept having dreams that our Plan A and B were out of town at the same time so I had to come up with 1 more person just to calm my own nerves.

When that phone call finally comes we have 4 hours to get to the hospital.   Depending on time of day and traffic that can be a 1 - 2 hour drive.  Doesn't give us much time to get things around the house taken care of.  So the lists will come in handy.

The kids have also asked if we could take a moment to say a prayer and light a candle for the donor family.  This has been really hard for all of us because the guilty conscience has kicked in and we feel bad for wishing for a heart for The Tin Man knowing that means that someone has to die. 

When a friend of mine's grandfather died, their family lit a candle in his honor and said a little prayer that his soul made it to its destination.  So the kids asked if they could do that for the donor family.  I thought it was a great idea. 

We are hoping the time comes soon, but because of Tin Man's blood type we were told that it could be  2 or more years before they get a match for him.  That's as long as we can keep his lungs healthy enough to keep him from needing a heart/lung transplant.  That is a much much much longer wait.

I just hope it doesn't come to that.